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Cavs vs. Pacers in NBA playoffs | Tyrese Haliburton’s dad reportedly won't attend games
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- Cavs vs. Pacers in NBA playoffs | Tyrese Haliburton’s dad reportedly won't attend games
INDEPENDENCE — The Cavaliers apparently won't need to worry about Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton's father, John, potentially exchanging heated words with them during the upcoming Eastern Conference semifinals.
A Pacers spokesperson told ESPN's Shams Charania on Thursday, May 1, the team's front office decided John Haliburton would not attend Indiana's home or road games for the foreseeable future, and John Haliburton accepted the organization's choice.
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After Tyrese Haliburton made a game-winning layup April 29 with 1.3 seconds left to lift the Pacers to a 119-118 win in overtime against the Milwaukee Bucks and a 4-1 first-round series triumph, John Haliburton confronted Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo on the court at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
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Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo tries to block a shot by the Pacers' Myles Turner during Game 5 of their NBA playoff series in Indianapolis. John Haliburton, father of Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, is seated on the front row of the floor seats in a dark jersey in the lower right.
In Antetokounmpo's postgame news conference, he said the elder Haliburton told him, "This is what we do. This is what we F-ing do. This what the F we do."
Added Antetokounmpo, "I feel like that's very, very disrespectful."
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John Haliburton later apologized on social media.
Game 1 between the top-seeded Cavs and the fourth-seeded Pacers will be set for either 6 or 8 p.m. May 4 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland .
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Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) blocks the shot of Cleveland Cavaliers forward Isaac Okoro (35) on Jan. 12, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio.
Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson makes case for why Tyrese Haliburton is not overrated despite survey conducted by The Athletic
Meanwhile, Tyrese Haliburton has been the subject of debate in NBA circles because the two-time All-Star guard was voted the most overrated player in the league in The Athletic's annual anonymous player poll . According to the Athletic, 90 players voted, and Haliburton received 14.4% of the vote.
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"I know this coach does not underrate him in no sense, in no terms," Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said after practice May 1 at Cleveland Clinic Courts. "I think he's one of the hardest covers in the league because he's got both. He can score, and then he's an elite passer. Elite jumper.
"It reminds me of the LeBrons of the world, the James Hardens of the world. They can just fire passes on a dart to any spot on the court, and they're big. He's 6-7½ , 6-8, so he can see over the defense. I think he's one of the elite guards in this league. That poll, I don't know those guys, they must not be watching the same film I'm watching. I think he's elite."
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland celebrates after making a 3-pointer against the Miami Heat on April 20, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio.
Cleveland Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson defends Darius Garland against Kyle Anderson 's claim
Atkinson also found time to defend one of his own players, All-Star point guard Darius Garland . After being swept by the Cavs in the opening round, the Miami Heat 's Kyle Anderson said Cleveland "looked like a better team without Garland on the floor."
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Garland missed the final two games of the Cavs-Heat series with a sprained big toe, and Atkinson said whether Garland plays in Game 1 against the Pacers could "go either way."
As for Anderson's opinion, Atkinson disagreed and said the Cavs are "better with our All-Star point guard" Garland.
"Speed, skill, smarts — and he has been our closer, quite honestly, at the end of games," Atkinson said. "It's been him all year. [He's an] elite shot maker, and then defensively, he's smart. He's smart, and he competes, and that's what we're asking of him and what he's done all year.
"We have people behind him that can support. Sure, there's a size thing, and he's working on that, right? We know his next thing is to continue to get stronger, kind of that Steph [Curry] evolution. How much stronger can he get? That'll be when he makes the next step. But as far as competitor, IQ, not back down, we've switched with him a lot this year. We'll do it in this series. So I don't see it as a major [defensive] liability for us at all."
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Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavs vs Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton's dad reportedly won't attend games
